Visual-proprioceptive intermodal perception in infancy

Three experiments investigated visual-proprioceptive intermodal perception in infancy. In these studies, 5-month-old infants manually explored a hidden object while simultaneously viewing an on-line image of their own hidden limb (the contingent display) and a prerecorded videotape of a different infant's limb exploring that same object (the noncontingent display). In Experiment 1, infants looked preferentially towards the noncontingent display, relative to the contingent display, replicating previously reported findings. Experiment 2 reversed the left-right spatial directionality of visual and proprioceptive inputs and found that infants no longer preferred either display. In Experiment 3, infants saw their hidden limb from a novel, unique station point. This experiment similarly found evidence for intermodal perception, with preferential fixation of the noncontingent display relative to the contingent display. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of both temporal contingency and spatial congruence in visual-proprioceptive intermodal perception and have implications for work investigating the development of self-recognition.